- Published:
- Tuesday 7 April 2026 at 9:00 am
| Senior constables Justin King and Alex Jenkins were tasked to an overnight shift on the fixed-wing aircraft. |
An epic night shift at Air Wing evokes images of helicopters hovering over busy streets.
But the unsung hero of the fleet, the Beechcraft King Air 350ER fixed-wing aircraft – known to most as an aeroplane – offered Air Wing members a different vantage point when they helped to arrest 12 people in one shift.
Tactical Flight Officers (TFO) senior constables Justin King and Alex Jenkins were tasked to an operation in Melbourne’s west, alongside members from general duties, crime investigation units, Dog Squad and highway patrol.
The multi-team effort targeted serious and violent crime in the Werribee, Tarneit and Melton areas.
When deployed on a plane, the pilot skillfully circles the aircraft in a safe airspace, while remaining within the observation area.
In the back, the TFOs communicate with the ground units to locate and follow offenders.
Criminal activity in plane sight
Using a high-precision forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera and what Sen Const King describes as a “beefed-up PlayStation controller”, the TFOs can maintain an unimpeded view of the events unfolding on the ground, giving the ground units the best chance at catching the crooks.
Sen Const King said it was this capability and organised teamwork that helped members track down and arrest a dozen young offenders.
“As soon as we were airborne, ground units got observations on a Toyota Corolla,” Sen Const King said.
“When they attempted an intercept, the Corolla didn’t pull over, so we relayed all our observations and stop sticks were authorised.
“The members were able to deploy stop sticks in a really good location that took the driver by surprise.
“The Corolla drove over them, the tyres were punctured and eventually it stopped outside an address before the driver ran to the door.
“Ground units arrived quickly and arrested him there.”
Members discovered the car was a stolen vehicle with cloned number plates.
The jobs continued to roll in.
A silver Mercedes with stolen plates was driven by a young male who fled on foot to his parents’ house in Tarneit after ground units successfully used stop sticks.
Next, balaclava-clad youth gang members drove a stolen vehicle at up to 130 kilometres per hour before losing control and crashing.
| The fixed-wing aircraft offers a different vantage point from up to 12,000 feet. |
As the ground units made their arrests, Air Wing zeroed in on the next job.
By the early hours of the morning – and seven arrests down – another call came in.
“A request for Air Wing came in for a suspected carjacking in Deanside,” Sen Const King said.
“I was on the camera and located the vehicle going at a fast rate of speed on Sinclairs Road, while the ground units got up close to confirm it was the vehicle of interest with five people inside.
“We followed the vehicle onto the Western Freeway towards Melton at speeds of 160km/h, putting other road users at risk.
“It was dumped in Melton South and the offenders got out on foot and jumped fences.
“Ground units were on scene quickly and arrested two while the others were hiding in backyards.”
Sen Const King said many offenders try to escape on foot and hide in places like dog kennels and rubbish bins, unaware they’re being followed by a plane.
“They don’t realise we’re overhead because we’re flying anywhere from 8000 to 12,000 feet, which is much quieter than a helicopter at 1000 to 3000 feet,” he said.
When the remaining offenders dispersed and hid, the TFOs used the FLIR camera to track them down.
“We lost sight of one of them down the side of a house and he didn’t come out from that area, so we said to the ground units, ‘He’s gotta be there, keep searching’,” Sen Const King said.
“They found him hiding in the storage box down the side of the house.”
All five carjacking offenders, underage and armed with machetes, were arrested, bringing the shift to 12 arrests in total.
“It is very satisfying to know we help to curb high-volume crime and offenders throughout the state,” Sen Const King said.
“We’re just as hungry as the ground units, we’re all here for the same reason and you see that in the teamwork.”
| Members return the fixed-wing to headquarters after a successful night shift. |
A highly capable fleet
When comparing aircraft in the Air Wing’s fleet, Sen Const King sees the benefits in both plane and helicopter.
“It’s great to work both platforms. They both have their pros and cons in endurance and capability,” he said.
“When we’re that high in the plane, we can get the camera on multiple suburbs within seconds and, at night, we can get observations of a heat source from a very long distance away, depending on terrain and weather conditions.
“The plane really lends itself to an operation like the one we had in the western suburbs, so you rub your hands together if you’re tasked to the fixed-wing on a clear night.
“You know you can really be of assistance to the ground units and bring in a dozen offenders in a night.
“In the fixed-wing, we can be up in the air and following a car for a lot longer than in the helicopter, and can reach a regional area within minutes, which has been a game changer.
“But the helicopter is much more dynamic.
“We can assist with aerial observations and then go and do a winch rescue somewhere in the high country and then locate a missing person who needed help.
"Whichever aircraft we’re in, it’s just incredibly satisfying to know that we are playing our part in keeping Victoria safe.”
Find out more about Victoria Police Air Wing and other specialist roles by visiting specialist roles and areas for police officers.
Editorial Sarah Larsen
Photography Jesse Wray-McCann and supplied
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